Wait for Me
by dixiedreaming
Summary: Fourteen years after Rhett left her, Scarlett receives an unexpected visitor who reawakens emotions and recalls a life she has long since tried to forget.
1. The way back

_Sorry for the long gap in between stories, I am still planning on writing a full-length GWTW fanfiction, but uni is taking up way too much of my time at the moment so that might have to be put on hold for a little while yet. In the meantime, here's a three-parter that came into my head and refused to leave until I sat down and wrote it. It's pretty different from _'Waking Up' _and I'm not too sure if it comes across on paper as well as it did in my mind, but I thought I'd share it with you anyway and would appreciate any comments you have on it. _

_The story takes place fourteen years after Melanie died when, by my (rough) calculations, Scarlett is 42 and Rhett is 59. Hope you enjoy!_

_(also a quick thanks to areadergirl for giving me the nudge I needed to keep going!)_

* * *

Scarlett was sitting at her desk going over the books with a methodical and practiced air one sunny morning in late June when she felt a shadow fall across the doorway. Looking up swiftly, she gasped as her eyes drank in the image of a man she had feared she would never see again. He was dressed impeccably as always, his suit pristine and tailored and his shoes polished until they shone almost as brightly as his smile. He tipped his panama hat to her in greeting and taunted, 'My dear, dear Mrs. Hara!' in a drawl so deep, sensual and achingly familiar that it made her entire body erupt in goose-pimples.

He appeared so at ease in tone and body language that Scarlett was almost fooled into thinking that it had been mere moments since they had last set eyes on each other rather than nine long years. Though his arrival was completely unexpected, Scarlett found that she was not at all shocked to see him standing in front of her. In fact it felt natural, normal even, as if she had been waiting for him all this time without quite realizing it. Even as her head told her to keep her distance and remain on the defensive, her eyes locked onto his bottomless, black ones and she felt the flimsy walls she had built around her heart since the day Melly died being torn down by the sheer power of his gaze.

He looked so different, and yet exactly the same somehow. His hair was grey where it had once been jet black, his tanned face was slightly paler and far more lined and his once commanding frame had diminished over the years, his shoulders hunching somewhat so that he had lost a couple of inches off his once impressive height. Yet, while his body may have weakened, his presence was as strong as ever, life burned just as intensely out of his dark eyes and, Scarlett thought wryly, he was still as capable of making an impression when he entered a room as he had been back in his prime.

'Rhett'

The word rose up from deep inside her and slipped from her lips unbidden, before she had a chance to stop it. She exhaled his name as she would air, as if she had been holding her breath since the moment that he left and could only start again now that he was back. It was a plea, a greeting, an endearment and a reprimand all in one and Rhett stiffened as it floated through the air to his ears, the atmosphere in the room becoming heavy and fraught in an instant.

Blushing slightly at having given herself away so easily, Scarlett sat up in her seat and, straightening her spine like a matador would when the bull first enters the ring, prepared herself for battle. 'What are you doing here?' she asked primly, as if Rhett were merely a business associate and not the man who had infuriated and captivated her for over a decade, who had promised her everything only to leave her with nothing one dark and misty night.

'Ella turns twenty-one this year. I felt it was my duty to come.' He said curtly, his earlier joviality having disappeared entirely as he strove to echo her formal tone.

Scarlett's heart sank at the answer, hurt by the knowledge that his sudden reappearance was not motivated by her, but rather by her daughter. It was beyond foolishness to have thought otherwise of course, after all he'd never so much as sent her a telegram since their divorce was finalized. Him and Ella on the other hand wrote to each other constantly, a fact that Scarlett knew only too well having had her heart break a little each time she received a letter from the man she still loved addressed to someone else. Yet, the traitorous part of her heart that still belonged to Rhett had flooded with hope when she had seen him standing before her, believing that he had returned for her at last, that he had finally come to his senses and realized he could not live another day without her.

Struggling to mask the disappointment that tore through her, Scarlett focused on the present and frowned as she took in the implication of his words more fully, 'Did you tell her you were coming?'

'I did. Surely she must have told you to expect me?'

'You'd have thought so, wouldn't you?' Scarlett said bitterly, unable to hide her anger at Ella for keeping Rhett's visit a secret. Her daughter knew how she still felt about Rhett, everybody did, and yet apparently Ella had not felt that it was worth mentioning that he was coming to see her. Scarlett knew Ella could be scatter-brained at the best of times, but surely something as monumental as this wouldn't have slipped even her haphazard mind?

'Are you certain you have the right day Rhett?' she asked.

'Actually we had arranged to meet tomorrow, but I finished up in Atlanta earlier than I had anticipated so thought I'd head down today and surprise her.'

'Oh that explains it then,' Scarlett said, pleased to have solved the mystery, 'She probably intended to tell me that you were coming when she got back tomorrow morning. You see Rhett, I'm afraid your journey's been in vain as Ella's not here at the moment. In fact no one is, they've all gone to visit Jam… that is they've all gone away for the weekend.' She stuttered awkwardly, a blush darkening her alabaster skin.

Thankfully Rhett seemed not to have noticed her slip, or if he did he chose not to comment on it, and either way Scarlett was grateful, there were some things that Rhett was better off not knowing, God knows they'd already caused each another enough pain to last one lifetime.

She had expected him to look crestfallen at her announcement that Ella was not around and as such was shocked and slightly bemused when instead his face split into a wide grin. Wondering if Rhett's hearing had deteriorated with age and he hadn't understood her properly, Scarlett opened her mouth to repeat herself when he surprised her further by moving across the room towards her desk, his tread, though significantly heavier than before, still every bit as predatory.

'What luck,' he said softly as he lowered himself into the chair across the table from her, his black eyes twinkling with a potent mixture of mischief and nostalgia, 'to find you alone!'

Scarlett bristled as his words evoked memories of an earlier, happier time, a time when they had been so much more to each other than they were now, a time that she had tried so hard to make herself forget. She knew he was only teasing her as he had always loved to do, but once again it seemed to be a cruel joke, one which ripped open old wounds and mocked her for still bleeding when he himself had long since learnt to stem the flow.

In that moment she remembered why it was that she had finally caved in and granted him his precious divorce after years of stubbornly holding out. It was not because her feelings for him had waned over time like they had for Ashley, but because she had finally realized that no matter how hard she fought he would never truly allow himself to love her again. Scarlett had always despised weakness and being unable to break down his iron will had left her feeling exactly that. Over time she had even stopped looking forward to his annual visits, for while he may have been near her physically, mentally he was as distant as if thousands of miles still separated them.

While she had initially thought she was trapping Rhett by refusing to grant him his divorce, eventually Scarlett came to realize that it was in fact her who was slowly suffocating under the weight of their prolonged sham of a marriage. Rhett had always done exactly as he pleased single or not, Belle Watling was nothing if not a constant remainder of that, whilst she was imprisoned by her status as a married woman, unable to move on from her life with Rhett even though their relationship had been dead for years in everyone's eyes but the law's.

Giving him up had been the hardest thing she had ever had to do and yet she knew that it had been for the best, finally bringing about an end to the miserable half-life she has been leading ever since he'd left her. With nothing to tie her to Atlanta anymore and unable to stand the old cat's sneering for a second longer, Scarlett had gathered her things, her children and her servants together and left the house that had taken so very much from her over the years for good.

Whilst the rest of her life may have been in chaos, her destination had been the only thing she was entirely certain of. There had after all only ever really been one place that she belonged in, only one place that she had truly called home. Tara.

Within its white walls surrounded by miles of red, rolling hills she planned to grow strong again. To recover from all the hardships that life had thrust upon her slim shoulders since the day she had first left it as a young, bored widow and rise up greater and prouder than ever. Looking down at the bulging book on her desk, Scarlett smiled at the knowledge that she wasn't the only one who had come to retain her former glory over the last few years. Tara and her had prospered together, the plantation was now back to its best, making even more of a profit than it had done before the war thanks to a winning combination of her visionary business ideas and Will's ability to put them into practice.

'You know you're still a pretty person Scarlett,' Rhett mused, his eyes alight with some unknown emotion as he took in her happy countenance, 'and I'm glad to see you smiling again. There was a time when I worried that you'd forgotten how.'

Scarlett passed over the darker implications of his comment and instead heard only the compliment, pleased that even after all this time Rhett still found her attractive. She had done her best to maintain her looks over the years, following Mammy's beauty tips as if they were her own personal Bible helping to save her from the Hell that was old age.

Of course, she wasn't what she had been, her skin was less tight and firm now, and a few wrinkles were beginning to form round her lips and forehead. Her once glossy locks had lost some of their bounce and thickness and her waist was larger than she cared to either notice or admit. Yet, all in all she was rather pleased when she looked in the mirror these days, finding the reflection to be an elegant and dignified one. Most importantly though, her startling green eyes had survived the ravages of time and were as arresting as ever, promising that no matter how old she might get, hers would never be a face that blended into the crowd.

'Thank you Rhett,' she replied in as demure a voice as she was capable of, 'you don't look so bad yourself I suppose, although I miss your black hair, that grey stuff makes you look like an old man.'

Rhett threw back his head and laughed loudly at her comment and Scarlett felt shivers fizzle across her body at the much missed sound.

'I see your looks aren't the only thing about you that hasn't changed Scarlett, you are still as blunt as ever! I agree with you about my hair though,' he said ruefully, reaching up and stroking his hair with a mock mournful expression, 'I tell you I've always been vain about my appearance, nowhere near as bad as you of course, but still I'm not ashamed to say the day I found my first grey hair I wept a little inside. Indeed, the only thing that managed to comfort me was the thought that at least I wasn't going bald. It takes a certain sort of man to carry off baldness Scarlett, and I fear that I am not one of them.'

Scarlett found herself laughing harder than she had done in some time, not so much at the idea of a bald Rhett, although the image was indeed amusing, but at the absurdity of the situation she now found herself in. If someone had told her when she got out of bed this morning that she would soon be sitting in her office talking to her ex-husband about the state of his hair of all things she would have told them to hush up and stop spouting such nonsense. And yet here they were, after years of separation and with so much pain and repressed emotion still existing between them, sitting idly round talking about inconsequential things as if they were an old married couple with all the time in the world.

As with so much of their relationship though, her joy was short lived as the image of her and Rhett as an elderly couple cut through Scarlett's laughter and made her stomach clench in pain. She had always feared ageing, convinced that life was not worth living once all the best things like beaus and balls and beauty were behind you, but now she almost wished that she could grow old with Rhett. Somehow she felt that she would not fear the passing of time so keenly if only he were there to share it with her.

'Who's that?' Rhett asked, breaking Scarlett's reverie and pulling her back into the present.

'Who's who?' Scarlett asked worriedly, spinning round to look out of the window afraid of what, or rather who, she might find staring back at her. Instead though, she saw nothing but a wide expanse of lawn and sky and frowned as she heard Rhett chuckle behind her.

'Not out there, up there.' Rhett said amusedly, pointing his hand to the wall behind Scarlett's desk. A wall which was almost entirely taken up by the large, gilded portrait of her grandmother.

Scarlett smiled as she took in the figure of the woman she had never met and yet had always secretly admired, a woman she had come to resemble far more closely than she had Ellen. 'That's my Grandmother Robillard, my mother's mother.'

'Ah,' Rhett said his eyes sparkling with recognition, 'the one who married three times and had duels fought over her, yes?'

'How on earth do you remember that Rhett? I hardly even recall mentioning her to you!' Scarlett exclaimed, stunned by his impressive knowledge of her family tree.

'You'd be surprised how much I remember when it comes to you Scarlett.' He said simply, his eyes burning with some silent emotion that made it hard for her to look him in the face without blushing. She felt startled by his admission, pained by the thought that he had once cared enough about her to memorize such inconsequential details. He must have loved her so very much back then, more perhaps than any man had ever loved a woman, and she had been such a damned, blind fool to have let such happiness pass her by.

'For example,' Rhett continued, his intense expression having morphed into one of sly amusement, 'I also remember you telling me that she wore terribly low-cut dresses, but I must confess that I see nothing so shocking in what she is wearing in that picture, God knows I've seen you in far more scandalous ensembles!'

'Yes I'm sure you have,' Scarlett replied tartly feeling her temper, normally kept under a tight rein these days, rising rapidly when exposed to his expert baiting one more, 'and I'm also sure that you bought most of them for me Rhett Butler, so don't you go acting all high and mighty!'

'Calm your ruffled feathers,' he said placating, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth as if he was pleased to find that he still had the power to make her mad, 'I meant no offense by it. Besides, I'd have thought that you would be pleased by the comparison if anything, after all didn't you always say you wanted to be like your grandmother?'

'I don't remember.' Scarlett muttered petulantly, coming down from her sudden peak of rage and yet unwilling to give into him so easily.

Rhett's smile grew in response to her stubborn behaviour, but he wisely chose not to comment on it, instead saying, 'Well then, you should be pleased by how your life turned out.'

'How so?' she asked.

'You married three times as well, didn't you?' he replied, his gaze seeming to Scarlett to grow more pointed as he spoke.

She felt herself stiffen slightly at his words and she turned quickly away from him, suddenly uncomfortable, as she tried to think of a way to bring the conversation back to safer ground.

Thankfully though her task was completed for her when Rhett continued, 'And while I never quite got as far to fight an actual duel for you, I did come frightfully close to shooting Ashley Wilkes on numerous occasions.'

Ashley. She had wondered how long it would be until he came up in conversation, in fact she was surprised Rhett had managed to go this long without mentioning him.

'Speaking of our mutual friend,' he continued in what he no doubt intended to be a casual voice, 'have you seen much of the esteemed gentleman lately?'

'Not lately no,' she replied cautiously, before deciding it was safer to tell the whole truth. After all Rhett always knew when she was keeping things from him and besides she was only fulfilling her promise to Melly by looking out for Ashley anyway. 'He and Beau will be coming here for a visit in a couple of weeks though, they always come twice a year, once in the summer and once for Christmas. Beau's training to be a lawyer, he and Wade hope to take over Uncle Henry's practice one day if he ever gets around to retiring. I swear though Rhett that man will outlive us all, he's as hardy now as he was the day that I first met him!'

Rhett's face, which had hardened at the knowledge that she was still in touch with Ashley, softened slightly at her last remark and he replied jovially, 'Don't I know it, I stopped by to see him yesterday afternoon and do you know that old beggar refused to see me! He even had the gall to get his secretary to tell me that he was out of the office when I could damn well see his shadow through the glass in his door!'

Scarlett grinned indulgently at her uncle's obstinate behaviour, 'You know he never did forgive you for divorcing me Rhett.'

'No, I don't suppose he did, can't say I blame him though,' he said before lowering his voice until it was barely above a whisper and Scarlett had to strain to hear it, 'God knows I'll never forgive myself for it either.'

Scarlett gasped at his unexpected admission and she opened her mouth to ask him exactly what he meant by his startling words. Before she had a chance to though Rhett, perhaps fearing that he had said too much, suddenly leapt up from his chair with the speed and virility of a much younger man.

Frightened that he was going to run away like he always did when things got tough, Scarlett sprang up from her own chair and reached across the desk that separated them to clutch his arm in a tight grip.

'Please don't go yet Rhett,' she pleaded, allowing her eyes to fill with all the love and regret that she had been trying so hard to hide from him throughout their conversation, 'give me just a little bit longer.'

Rhett seemed to shrink from her touch as if it burned him, his face was cautious, his emotions safely locked away behind the mask of indifference that he had always worn when he wished to keep her at a distance. They stood for a few moments in silence, staring at each other warily, neither sure whether to back away or move closer still, unable to decide in that moment which option would cause them the least amount of pain in the long run.

Finally, just as Scarlett had begun to feel as if she could no longer take the tension that emanated between them, Rhett closed his eyes and sighed heavily as if trying to steady himself. When he reopened them a few moments later all former traces of uncertainty and strain had disappeared, and when she felt his body relax under her she breathed a sigh of relief, sensing that his instinctive desire to run had been suppressed.

Before her very eyes his mask dissolved and he smiled her favourite crooked smile, the corner of his mouth curving down and his eyes sparkling, 'I suppose it would be ungracious of me to leave so quickly.' he said, 'After all this is my first ever visit to the infamous white elephant of Clayton County and it would be a shame to go without first getting a tour.'

Scarlett grinned at his words, her heart beating faster at the thought of showing Rhett round Tara. They were after all the two things she loved most in this world and it was only right that they should finally get to meet each other.

'Give me a moment to get my shawl Rhett and I'll be right with you.' She said before hurrying out of the room and up the stairs. She only just managed to stop herself from running, gripped by the fear that if she left him alone for too long then the spell would surely be broken and he would disappear out of her life as quickly and devastatingly as he had just re-entered it.


	2. Together again

_Thanks to everyone who read the previous chapter, I really do appreciate it. And a special thanks to all of you who took the time to review, your continued support and kind comments mean a lot to me. This is the longest chapter I've written so far and while I expected it to be a bit of a slog, actually it was one of the most fun to create. It even has my very first cliff-hanger ending (try not to hate me too much!). Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!_

_Just realised I've never actually done a disclaimer before, but in case there was any doubt I don't own Gone with the Wind or any of its characters, no matter how much I'd like to!_

* * *

Scarlett tore down the stairs minutes later, having paused only to apply some rouge to her cheeks and give herself a quick once-over in the mirror. In her eagerness to return to Rhett, she failed to spot him waiting for her in the hallway and only avoided colliding headfirst into him when he reached out a steadying hand to stop her.

'Someone's eager.' He commented lightly, his mouth twitching as he tried to supress a smile.

'Well seeing as it's taken you almost thirty years to visit Rhett, I'd better make the most of every second now, hadn't I?' she retorted, her embarrassment making her voice shriller than she had intended.

Rhett chuckled at her tone, his black eyes taking in the sight of her flushed cheeks, and said dryly, 'I'll make sure to return the favour the next time that you come calling in Charleston.'

Scarlett snorted, her irritation giving way to amusement at the absurdity of his statement, 'I'm not sure I'd be very welcome in your home town Rhett. No doubt they've heard enough about me to barricade the place if I even tried to get within fifty miles of it!'

'You're wrong Scarlett,' he said earnestly before breaking out into a wide grin, 'I'm afraid your reputation is no longer what it was, indeed I fear these years spent bringing Tara back from the dead have made you almost respectable again.'

Scarlett smiled and shook her head as they emerged out of the shade of the hallway into the bright sunshine, 'Thanks to all your efforts over the years Rhett Butler, respectable is one thing that I'll never be.'

Turning her head away from Rhett as they came to stand on the wide steps of the front porch, Scarlett felt her heart swell with pride as she surveyed the endless acres of red earth that stretched out in front of her. She couldn't help but smile smugly as she took in Rhett's appraising expression, pleased that he seemed to appreciate the beauty of her home as keenly as she did.

'It's breath-taking Scarlett,' he said simply, his eyes devoid of all his usual sarcasm and instead shining with pure, unadulterated emotion.

'Thank you.'

They stood in perfect silence for a few minutes, basking in the warmth of the sun on their skin and the soothing sounds of the countryside, before Rhett broke the calm to ask, 'So, what shall we see first?'

Scarlett frowned, there were so many things that she wanted to show him, so many stories that she wanted to share, that she almost did not know where to begin. She stood in a state of uncertainty for a few moments, her nerves fraying as she berated herself for wasting time like this when they had so little of it to spare. Just as she was beginning to really fret though, a calming breeze drifted through the still summer air, making the leaves on the trees rustle like angel's wings and suddenly Scarlett knew exactly which way to go.

'Before we start Rhett there's someone who would love to see you.' She said, making Rhett's eyebrows quirk together in momentary confusion.

'I thought you said that you were alone here today Scarlett?' he asked almost accusingly.

'No, I said that everyone had gone,' she corrected gently, a small, sad smile gracing her lips, 'but I'll never really be alone at Tara.'

'What do you mean?' he asked.

'You'll see.' Scarlett replied enigmatically, enjoying the rare sensation of knowing more than Rhett did for once. Descending the porch steps quickly, she prevented him from asking any more questions by striding off round the back of the house.

She heard the tread of Rhett's steps behind her, but did not look back to make sure that he was following, instead choosing to keep her eyes facing firmly ahead, eager to reach her destination. Her eyes sparkled as she turned the corner at the back of the house and made her way across the lawn to the large tree at its edge.

Under the shade of its boughs Scarlett stopped and, turning to Rhett, pointed to the stone slab that rose out of the red earth beneath their feet. 'How can I be alone Rhett when she is near me?'

Rhett's frown of confusion crumbled away as he let out a soft sigh of recognition before bending to read the words hand carved into the rock.

_Here lies Mammy, faithful servant and beloved guardian of the O'Hara family for three generations. May she rest in peace, watching over Tara and its inhabitants in death as steadfastly as she did in life. _

Gently Rhett reached out and stroked the stone, tracing over the letters with his fingers as if he wished to reinforce their sentiments with his touch.

'Wade wrote it,' Scarlett explained, 'I tried to, but I couldn't get it to sound quite right. He's ever so good with words you know, funny really seeing as he was always such a quiet, shy boy.'

'It's perfect.' Rhett said, 'although perhaps instead of 'steadfastly' I'd have used stubbornly or doggedly.'

'That does sound more like her,' Scarlett chuckled lightly, 'although personally I think mulishly describes her best, don't you?'

Rhett spun his head towards her, his black eyes swimming with a combination of tears and laughter as they were both swamped by memories of a time which, through long past, would forever burn brightly in their minds.

'Ella wrote to tell me that she had passed. I would have come for the funeral, but by the time her letter arrived it was already too late.'

'There's no need to explain Rhett, it all happened so quickly, you could never have known in time. You know what Mammy was like, she refused to tell anyone that she was sick, she even carried on working right up to the day that she died.' Scarlett said, her voice breaking slightly as she remembered the morning that Mammy had come over dizzy while serving them breakfast.

After that everything had been a blur, as if Scarlett was trapped inside her old nightmare again, screaming for help, but unable to find a way to prevent the horror that was unfolding before her very eyes. She had hardly even had a chance to say goodbye. There was so much she had wanted to say, so much that she needed Mammy to know, but in the end there had simply been no time. No time to tell her just how much she meant to her, how Scarlett owed everything to her, how her life would never have been what it was without her constant love and protection.

'She already knew,' Rhett said quietly, shocking Scarlett as she realised she had been speaking her thoughts out loud, 'it's what made her keep coming back to you no matter how bad things got. You can never truly turn you back on the one's you love, especially not when you know that they love you in return.'

Scarlett nodded, comforted by Rhett's words, and shot him a grateful smile before dabbing her eyes with her hand.

'It's an idyllic spot for her to rest.' Rhett commented, standing up and surveying the verdant branches that stretched out above his head.

'It's a scarlet oak, Pa planted it the year that I was born.' She replied, 'He used to tell me that I was connected to the tree, that we'd both grow up at the same rate and that as long as it was here then there would always be a piece of me in Tara. I know it's silly, but I felt that by burying her under it, it would be like she was still with me in some way.'

She paused for a moment before continuing nostalgically, 'I used to love watching it get taller when I was a little girl, I was always in such a hurry to grow up back then and I thought that once it matured then I would too. Of course now I wish it wasn't quite so big, it's not as if I need another daily reminder of how old I am becoming!'

Rhett grinned before reaching out to lay his hand on the gravestone for a few moments, bowing his head as he did so. When he stepped back Scarlett sensed that he had said his goodbyes and was now ready to move on. Silently, she nodded for him to follow her as she walked past the tree until they came to the start of the cotton fields.

'You know Scarlett,' Rhett commented archly, 'even after all this time I still cannot imagine you working in these fields during the war. There's something about you that simply wasn't cut out for hard labour.'

Her pride wounded by his insinuation, Scarlett was unable to prevent herself from snapping, 'I'll have you know Rhett Butler that I picked more cotton and harvested more crops than everyone else put together! Why, Suellen was so useless I practically worked my fingers to the bone just to make sure we had enough to live on.'

'No need to bite my head off Scarlett, I know only too well the damage all that toil did to your hands. And I'm sure Suellen was more of a hindrance than a help, just as I'm sure that you would have given her hell for it!' he teased, 'No wonder her and Will moved out after you came back here, I do believe you'd have killed each other if you'd had to stay cooped up in this house together for longer than a month.'

'How did you know about that?' Scarlett started to ask before the answer came to her. Ella. 'Is there anything that that girl doesn't mention in her letters?'

'Only the things that you tell her not to put in.' Rhett replied smoothly.

Scarlett's heart skipped a beat at his words and she spun sharply to look at him only to find that his face was as deceptively blank as always. Wondering how much he knew, but not brave enough to ask him, she decided it was safest to carry on as if he hadn't spoken.

'Suellen never really liked it here anyway Rhett, she was desperate to move into the city with Frank until I spoilt all of her plans. She's much happier living in Jonesboro, although I think Will misses Tara more than he says. Still, he's here every week day to help me run it, so it's not too much of a hardship, and at least it's stopped Suellen constantly moaning at him about how dull life in the country is.'

'You don't find it dull though?' Rhett questioned, looking suddenly concerned.

Scarlett shook her head firmly, 'Never. I belong here Rhett, it's in my blood, and there are still balls to go to, even if there not quite as fancy as the ones in Atlanta.'

'I'm glad, its nice to see you happy Scarlett,' he said honestly, 'I'd forgotten quite how bewitching you could be when you have a reason to smile.'

'You look happy too Rhett.'

'I am,' he said, pausing for a moment as if uncertain of whether or not to continue before saying in a low voice, 'Daniel makes me happy.'

'Who's Daniel?' Scarlett asked, her forehead creasing as she frowned in confusion.

'My son.'

'Your son?' Scarlett gasped, her mind reeling as jealousy coursed through her veins. She didn't understand, Ella had never mentioned that Rhett was so much as courting another woman let alone that he had had a child with one. Surely she wouldn't have kept something that important from her, knowing as she did how Scarlett still felt about him? Unless of course she wasn't the only one who made sure certain things were kept out of the letters between her daughter and Rhett.

'Yes' Rhett replied simply, eyeing her warily and looking as if he was already regretting speaking of the matter.

Sensing his reluctance to talk of the topic further, Scarlett knew she had to tred carefully, one wrong word, one angry exclamation would have him fleeing back to Charleston before she'd learnt the first thing about his mystery offspring. And she needed to know, painful as it would undoubtedly be to think of Rhett having a living child with another woman when their darling daughter had been so cruelly snatched from them, the idea of living in ignorance was even more unbearable.

Fighting to rein in her jealousy and hurt, Scarlett composed herself and asked coolly, 'Your son by what woman?'

As soon as the question was out of her mouth she knew that it had been the wrong one to ask. Beside her Rhett stiffened noticeably, his mouth thinning into a grim, hard line. She almost expected him to turn on the spot and run from her, but instead he remained dangerously still and when his eyes bore into her own with an almost sympathetic expression she realised her error. She knew then that the reason for his violent reaction was not because he was hurt by her question, but rather because she would be hurt by his answer.

Slowly his lips parted and he breathed the two words that had haunted her ever since she'd moved to Atlanta, the two words that made her stomach churn and her blood turn to gall; Belle Watling.

If he had taken a knife and stabbed her through the heart she would not have felt any more pain than she did in that moment. The ground seemed to rush up to meet her as bile forced its way into her throat. She felt Rhett move towards her, his arm extended as if to draw her to him, but she pushed him roughly away, wishing only that she could push him hard enough so that he would leave her life for good.

She had been wrong to want him here, to think that his return meant that they could begin to rebuild their relationship after all this time, for she knew now that Rhett would never be capable of causing her anything but pain.

She heard him calling her name as she hurried to get away from him, losing her bearings in her flustered state and walking away from the sanctuary of the house towards the swamp at the bottom of the fields.

As she stumbled over a divot in the soil, her foot twisting painfully under her, she heard his appeals for her to stop grow louder and more urgent. Ignoring the shooting pain in her ankle, she reached down to pick up her skirts and as she did so she felt his strong arms wrap around her middle in a bruising hold.

She cried out in fury and writhed against him, struggling desperately to break his iron grip. She clawed at his hands with her own, kicking her legs back into his, as her breathing grew shallower and her vision blurred.

'Darling for God's sake stop!' he pleaded, pulling her even tighter against his body. Scarlett gasped at his use of the endearment, he had been so careful since he'd arrived this morning, making sure to address her only by her Christian name rather than any of the pet ones that he had so loved to bestow on her in the past. At the sound of it her temper evaporated and she sagged against him, exhausted and broken.

Over the sound of her soft sobs she heard his laboured pants as he tried to regain his breath after having run after her. As his breathing regulated, his confining hold softened into something closer to a lover's embrace and he bent his head to rest it amongst her curls.

'It's not what you think,' he said solemnly, 'We had the child before I'd even met you.'

Though he was standing so close to her, his mouth mere inches away from her ear, his words came to her as if from far away, and it took her a few moments to fully process their meaning. When she did however they offered her only scant relief, surely they were too good to be true, Lord knew this wouldn't be the first time that Rhett had manipulated the truth in order to appease her.

As if he sensed her disbelief in the silence between them, Rhett sighed and said more forcefully, 'It's true Scarlett. He was born three years before that infamous party at Twelve Oaks. I'd met Belle while docking in New Orleans a year or so prior to his birth and we struck up a… well, a friendship of sorts, almost instantly. She had been forced out of her home just as I had and we found solace in each other as much as anything else, being two lost souls so very far from home as we were.'

He paused for a moment as if considering how best to word what he had to say next before continuing, 'I began to see her whenever business brought me to New Orleans. It was never a romantic relationship exactly, or at least not on my side anyway, but I truly cared for her, more than I'd ever cared for any woman until I met you. About eighteen months after we'd first met, I arrived back in the city after an extended trip to Europe to find that she had been kicked out of the saloon in which she used to work. After much searching, I managed to find her holed up in some god-forsaken dive in the worst possible part of town. It didn't take long to ascertain the reason for her fall in fortune, the moment she opened the door to her room I saw that she was at least eight months pregnant.'

He stopped before saying in a significantly softer voice, 'She told me she could not bear to get rid of it, even if it meant living on the streets for the rest of her life, she would not stoop so low as to kill her own child. She always was such a brave woman; stupid, unbelievably stubborn, but brave- remind you of anyone, my darling?'

Scarlett stiffened at the comparison, offended at being linked to that awful woman, even if Rhett did mean it as a compliment. 'How do you know the child is even yours Rhett?' she questioned spitefully, wanting to hurt him as he'd hurt her. Instantly his grip around her waist tightened almost to the point of pain as he wordlessly warned her not to push him too far.

However, incensed by the notion that he had known he was a father throughout the entire time that they had been together and yet never said a single thing to her about it, Scarlett ignored his caution and ploughed on fearlessly, 'After all you don't know exactly when she conceived and it's not like you were the only man she was carrying on with in that time. In fact there are probably hundreds of men who could b…'

'Finish that sentence and it'll be the last one you ever utter.' He hissed threateningly, his hands digging cruelly into her skin. 'For everything else that she is, Belle's a good woman and she doesn't deserve your malice.'

Scarlett blood boiled at having Rhett take Belle's side over hers and she resumed her struggle to escape his hold. But Rhett only pulled her closer and continued as if totally unaware of her actions, 'She assured me the child was mine from the very first and, while I'm ashamed to admit that I too had my reservations about believing her at first, there is no doubt in my mind now that Daniel is my son.'

'How can you be so sure Rhett?' Scarlett cried incredulously.

'My mother passed away a few months after our divorce,' he said softly, 'Losing the two of you in such a short space of time made me revaluate my life, truth be told I was lonely and the thought of growing old alone without any family around me was an idea I could not bear to contemplate. I went back to New Orleans for a visit and got in contact with Daniel's old school teacher who was able to tell me where he had gone.'

Rhett chuckled, 'If the fact he'd grown up to be a professional gambler wasn't enough proof of his paternity, one look at him certainly was. It was rather surreal in fact Scarlett, like looking in a mirror that's thirty years out of date.'

Through the confusion of Scarlett's mind one thing kept standing out, recalling a half-remembered memory of a conversation that they had had many years ago. 'New Orleans…you said he lived in New Orleans Rhett, is he the ward you once told me about?'

'Yes Scarlett he is,' Rhett said, turning her round in his arms so that they faced each other whilst still maintaining his grip on her, 'as I said, back then I wasn't convinced that he was my son and was far too proud to consider raising another man's child as my own. Instead I arranged for him to be taken in by a business acquaintance of mine whose wife had not been blessed with the ability to conceive. I paid for his room and board and later on for his schooling. At the time I congratulated myself on being so generous, but now I see that I was only trying to assuage my guilty conscience by throwing money at the problem in the hope that it would make it go away.'

'What about Belle, Rhett?' Scarlett asked, her curiosity overcoming her jealousy for a moment, 'Why did she move to Atlanta if her son was in New Orleans?'

Rhett's dark eyes flashed with remorse as he said, 'She didn't want to. I had to convince her that it would be for the best. His new family didn't want her around Daniel and being so close to him without being allowed to see him would only have caused her more pain, or at least that's what I told myself anyway.'

Regret radiated from his eyes and body as he said those words and Scarlett felt her heart break for the man in front of her who suddenly looked every one of his fifty-nine years. Her anger draining away, she reached out and caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand, making his eyes dart to her face with a look of immense shock.

In all the years that they had known each other she could not remember a single, solitary time that she had comforted him like this. She had always been so cold when it came to Rhett, blind to his suffering while constantly relying on him to ease hers. Now though, she wanted to put that right, to help heal him as he had healed her so many times in the past.

'Why didn't you tell me before Rhett?' she implored softly, her other hand coming up to cup his face between her palms.

Rhett smiled faintly, 'My dear, it was hard enough trying to win your stubborn heart as it was without informing you that I may or may not have had a child with the local whore.'

'I thought you said she was a good woman?'

'She is, but she was a whore in your eyes nonetheless and that's all that mattered.'

'I'm sorry.' Scarlett breathed, hoping vainly that those two little words would somehow express the depth of her feeling.

Rhett's smile grew and his arms around her waist gave a small, affectionate squeeze, 'Thank you.'

They stood in perfect silence for a long time, each revelling in the feeling of their physical and mental closeness. Finally Rhett pulled away slightly, the reluctance clear in his dark eyes, and scanning their surroundings said, 'As much as I would like to stand here with you all day long my dear, time is marching on and if I'm to see the rest of your home before I leave then we'd better be getting on.'

Scarlett flinched at his words, she had almost forgotten that his visit was a temporary one and wished she could think of some excuse that would keep him here for longer. Drawing a blank though, she admitted defeat for the present and stepped slowly away from him.

'Where do you want to go next Rhett?' she asked.

'What's in there?' he asked, pointing at something behind her.

Turning she said, 'Oh it's just the woods Rhett, it's quite swampy down by the river though.'

Despite her less than glowing report however, Rhett continued to look interested, 'I think a walk along the river is just what the doctor ordered, don't you?'

Frowning slightly and none too pleased at the thought of getting her shoes all wet and muddy, Scarlett nevertheless nodded, willing to make this sacrifice if it meant spending a little more time with Rhett.

As they trekked through the trees, following the sound of the water, a memory floated up into Scarlett's consciousness and made her giggle aloud.

Rhett grinned at the sound, 'Care to share the joke, my dear?' he asked good-naturedly.

'Oh Rhett, I know I shouldn't laugh, Lord knows it was the furthest thing from funny at the time, but during the war we used to hide all the livestock down here by the river whenever the Yankees came by. I remember once they caught us on the hop and we had to rush to get everything in here before they came. Next thing I know, Mammy's sprinting past me with her eyes blazing and a pig tucked under each arm! I wish you could have seen it, I do believe that was the one and only time I ever saw her run!'

Rhett chuckled beside her, the sound of their shared laughter floating along on the summer's breeze. 'I imagine that was a sight worth seeing!' he smiled before turning serious, 'I too wish I'd been there.'

Scarlett sighed, why couldn't they share one moment of happiness without the regrets of the past turning it into something ugly? Unwilling to give into the melancholy this time, she said determinedly, 'I forgave you a long time ago for leaving me that night Rhett. You did what you felt you had to and besides, you were right, I did manage to get through it all on my own.'

Rhett nodded at her words, but stayed mute, his eyes dark and stormy as they relived times both of them would rather forget.

They walked along the river bank in silence for a while until Scarlett could no longer bear it and asked a question that had been niggling at her for the last half hour.

'What's he like Rhett?' she inquired only to be met by his blank look of incomprehension, 'Daniel I mean, what's he like?'

Rhett smiled, 'A perfect hellion, a complete rogue, but with a heart of gold.'

'Sounds familiar.' She teased.

'I'm sure I don't have the faintest idea who you're alluding to my dear.' He grinned back.

'Is he married?'

'Yes. Unlike his father he had the sense to fall in love with a woman who was actually attainable, and he wasn't shy about letting her know just how he felt either.'

'Sounds like a wise man.' Scarlett said dryly.

'Indeed, my dear. He and Rachel have two children together, John is six and Thomas is three.'

Scarlett's heart pined at the thought of Rhett being a grandfather, although part of her was mollified by the fact they were two boys. She did not think she could bear the thought of him loving a little girl other than their precious Bonnie.

Burying her hurt deep down inside of her, Scarlett fixed a smile onto her face and said lightly, 'Grandchildren are fun aren't they Rhett? Wade and his wife just had their first child a few months ago. You know I've never been the most affectionate person around babies, but somehow they are so much easier to love when you can give them back at the end of the day.'

Rhett chuckled, 'I'm glad to see your maternal side is finally emerging my dear, even if you are one generation out.'

'Very funny Rhett, but I'll have you know I'm just as good a mother these days as I am a grandmother.'

'I don't' doubt it. I always thought you'd take to being a grandma more easily though, of course back then I was figuring on us having mutual grandchildren.'

'Why Rhett we do!' Scarlett exclaimed indignantly, 'You're the closest thing to a father that Wade's ever known.'

'While I appreciate you saying that Scarlett, I doubt Wade would share your sentiment.' He said, his face clouding over.

While Ella had been quick to forgive Rhett for walking out on them, Wade had been significantly less understanding and still refused to speak to Rhett even after all these years. The stubbornness of his behaviour still surprised Scarlett to this day, a smile playing upon her lips as she considered the idea that her son was more like her than she'd originality thought.

'Perhaps not,' she conceded, 'but that doesn't make it any less true.'

Rhett looked taken aback by her words and his eyes raked over her as if seeing her in a whole new light. 'You've grown up Scarlett.' He said, his black eyes swimming with admiration.

'I've had to.' She replied simply.

They walked on for a while longer, following the river as it twisted and turned its way through the trees. They talked about this and that, everything and nothing, simply enjoying the sound of each other's voices after having gone for so long without hearing them.

Scarlett was about to suggest that they turn back and make their way up to the house for tea when suddenly Rhett froze beside her, his hand reaching out to grab the rope that hung down from the branch beside him.

'What's this?' he asked curiously.

Scarlett' eyes flashed as she swivelled to face him and saw what it was that had caught his attention. 'This used to be my favourite place in all of Tara when I was a child.' She said happily, her eyes alight with memories. Pointing up to the wooden structure that lay nestled between two thick boughs above their heads she explained, 'Pa built the treehouse for me when I was six, Brent and Stu had been boasting to me about how their mother had made them one and I was pea-green with jealousy for months until Pa relented and made me this.'

Rhett laughed loudly at her tale and gave the rope a firm tug beneath his hands, 'It looks like he did a sterling job Scarlett. Why I do believe you could still climb up there and sit in it now if you wanted to.'

'Don't be so silly Rhett, it hasn't been used in decades! Why, the whole thing is probably rotten by now!' she exclaimed.

'I bet you that it's not.' He replied, his black eyes snapping playfully as he gave the rope another tug.

'You have nothing to bet with Rhett and besides, there's no way of proving it.'

'My dear, as much as I hate to argue with you, I'm afraid that you are wrong on both counts.' He taunted, stepping away from the tree and prowling towards her, his eyes burning with life and desire, 'But before I disprove your second theory, I want to be sure that you'll accept the terms of my bet.'

'What are you wagering?' Scarlett managed to breathe, her heart hammering in her chest in response to the heated look he was currently giving her.

'If you win then you get to ask me any question you like and I swear that I will answer it completely honestly.'

'And if you win?' she asked, her curiosity piqued by the thought that Rhett, usually so careful when it came to cloaking his emotions, was offering her the chance to see behind his mask without reserve.

'Then I get whatever I want without you being able to refuse me.' He said enigmatically.

Scarlett frowned, unsure of what exactly it was that he could want from her, but Rhett gave her no time to decipher his words, instead grabbing her arms and leaning down towards her so that his face was only inches from hers, his eyes boring into her own with an intensity that was almost tangible.

'Say yes Scarlett.' He commanded, his voice leaving her no room to argue.

'Yes.' She whispered without a thought. Overcome by his proximity, she instinctively tilted her head back and pursed her lips, her eyes begging him for the very thing she could not bring herself to ask for.

Instead of coming closer though, Rhett suddenly stepped back from their embrace and strode towards the rope, calling out over his shoulder, 'Be prepared to lose my dear!'

Scarlett eyes widened in disbelief as he took the rope firmly between his hands before hoisting his legs up to rest against the trunk of the tree.

Stumbling forward as he began his assent, she cried out, 'For God's sake Rhett have you lost your mind!'

When the only reply she received was his barking laugh she went further, 'Rhett you're fifty-nine years old, you can't go around climbing trees as if you're still a child! If you fall and break your leg, what am I supposed to do about it? If you think that I'm lugging your sorry behind all the way back up the hill then you've got another thing coming! You can stay down here until they all come back tomorrow morning for all I care!'

Rather than being chastised by her rant however, Rhett only laughed harder, his eyes sparkling with more life in that moment than they had in all the years since they had parted. He continued climbing the tree with the aid of the rope until, reaching the bough on which the treehouse rested, he held on to it with with one arm while grabbing the wood that made up the doorframe with the other. Using this as leverage, he hoisted himself up into a kneeling position and crawled inside the treehouse, disappearing from Scarlett's view.

Her heart stayed firmly in her mouth as she turned her head away in fear, expecting any moment to hear the sound of splintering wood and see the entire thing come crashing to the ground, Rhett and all. The sound never came though and after a few minutes she opened her eyes and dared to peer cautiously upwards.

She was met by the sight of Rhett sitting in the doorway of the treehouse, his legs swinging idly beneath him and a smug grin plastered across his face. 'Why Scarlett, how good of you to come visit me!' he teased.

'Very clever Rhett, just because that thing can support you doesn't mean you won't kill yourself trying to get down!'

'Always the little optimist aren't you my darling?' he joked, 'Besides, I'm not coming down just yet, at least not until you've come up and joined me that is.'

Scarlett spluttered, unable even to formulate a response to his ridiculous request.

'After all you said yourself that this is your favourite place in Tara, hardly slim praise given how much you love the place, it would be a shame if you didn't take this opportunity to see it again.'

'I said it _was_ my favourite place in Tara Rhett, I'm far too big to go up there again now.'

'Now my dear, why in the world would you ever say such a thing about yourself? It's true you've gained a little weight since the last time I saw you, but I assure you it's not so much that you won't be able to fit inside.'

Scarlett felt her blood boil at his words and couldn't prevent herself from yelling at the top of her lungs, 'That's not what I meant Rhett Butler and you damn well know it!'

With a supreme effort Rhett managed to keep the smile off his face, maintaining his deadpan expression as he said, 'If you say so my dear, although perhaps now that I think of it maybe it would be safer if you stayed down there after all. This treehouse has been standing for thirty years and I'd hate for my suggestion that you come up here to bring it crashing down to earth.'

Scarlett gritted her teeth as she marched forward and grabbed hold of the rope, she knew what he was doing, it was so transparently obvious and yet she could not help but rise to the challenge he laid out in front of her. Muttering under her breath, she braced herself before jumping up and planting her feet on the tree.

Slowly she climbed up, cursing herself the entire time for letting him get to her like this. No other person she had ever known had this effect on her, there was no one else whose good opinion she cared about enough to risk her neck in order to maintain it.

As she reached the top she saw his strong, tanned hand reach out towards her and, supporting her weight on him, she managed to clamber onto the floor of the treehouse, her face splitting into a wide, triumphant smile as she did so.

'Scarlett, how good of you to join me!' he chuckled in a faux nonchalant voice while making sure to keep hold of her hand even though she was now safely up. Righting herself, Scarlett turned to sit on the edge of the floor looking out at the woods around her as she got her breath back.

Once she had it under control again, she moved to face the inside of the room, only to gasp in shock as she saw the multitude of engravings that adorned the walls of the treehouse. Pulling her hand gently out of Rhett's, she stood and made her way over to the far wall, reaching out tentatively and running her fingertips over the markings as if afraid they would disappear at her touch.

'_Scarlett O'Hara aged nine years and 3 days', _'_I hate Suellen'_, her mind blurred as she read all the things she had carved into the wood so many years ago, smiling as they recalled images of the young, wild, fearless little girl that she had once been.

Suddenly she gasped as her hand traced over another etching, a shudder running through her body as she did so.

'What is it honey?' asked Rhett, startling Scarlett as she realised that he was standing right behind her.

Quickly she jerked her hand away from the wall, but it was already too late, Rhett's face darkening into a frown as he read the very words she'd wished to hide from him. _'Mrs. Scarlett Wilkes'_

It was just a scribble, an idle, childish fantasy, it meant nothing and yet she knew that to Rhett it would mean everything. She knew that she could hardly be expected to take responsibility for the dreams she had naively held over thirty years ago, and yet she still felt the irrational need to apologise to him, to assure him that she no longer felt the way that she had back then.

Just as she opened her mouth to do so though, Rhett stopped her by gently pressing his fingers to her lips. 'Hush Scarlett, there's no need to explain.' He said calmly, 'Just because something was true in the past doesn't mean that it is still true now, after all I doubt that you still think Mammy is, and I quote, 'a big, fat meany' now do you?'

'No I don't.' Scarlett said,tentatively surprised by how calmly he seemed to be taking the situation. She had expected him to rail at her, to be consumed by a fit of jealousy as he had done so many times in the past when Ashley had come between them. An odd pang of disappointment tore through her at the thought that maybe he no longer cared enough about her to be jealous, that the thought of her with another man no longer caused him any pain.

Yet after a few moments of silence, Scarlett realized that while his words suggested he was unperturbed by what he'd seen, his body language said he was anything but. His face remained carved into a deep frown and his eyes refused to look at her. Though she had never been an expert in reading situations, even Scarlett knew enough to sense that something important had shifted in the atmosphere between them. Gone was the close camaraderie that they had shared so far this day, gone was the teasing lightness and the gentle intimacy that they had built up during his visit. It was as if the ice that they had been so perilously skating on up until this point had cracked, plunging them once again into dark, turbulent waters.

Struggling to find a way to bring them back to surer, safer ground Scarlett scrambled for something positive to say, 'Thank you for making me come up here Rhett. I haven't been inside this treehouse for ever such a long time.'

Rather than lightening the tense mood between them however, her words only darkened it further as Rhett's turned to look at her, his black eyes burning into her green ones as he asked in a deceptively smooth voice, 'Not even with your fiancé?'

* * *

_(I told you that you'd hate me!)_


	3. Journey's End

_Apologies for the long wait in between chapters, especially after I left you all hanging last time! As much as I loved reading all your responses to the cliffhanger, it was pretty daunting sitting down to write this chapter knowing that some people wanted her to pick Rhett and other's James, and that I was bound to disappoint half of you no matter what. In the end though, I decided to stick to my original plan for this story, and while I'm not totally happy with this chapter and can't help but feel that it's a little rushed, I didn't think it was fair to keep you waiting any longer so I thought I'd post it now and then I can update it later if I need to._

_Thanks again for all your support and encouragement and I hope that you enjoy the conclusion of this story, although feel free to let me know if you don't, I don't mind criticism as long as its constructive._

_Finally, if anyone's interested then Tracy Chapman's song 'The Promise' was my inspiration for this story about our favourite couple and it's well worth a listen if you've got the time._

_Hope to see you all again soon with another story!_

* * *

He knew.

Scarlett felt as if the air had been sucked from her body, suddenly she couldn't breathe, hers stays were much too tight, how had she not noticed this before? They were cutting off her circulation, making her insides ache as her mind whirled and her heart threatened to give out.

He knew.

The one thing that she had tried so very hard to keep from him. The one thing that she would have rather died than confess to him. The one thing that threatened to drive the final nail into the coffin of their tempestuous, tortured relationship.

He knew.

Rashly she thought about denying it, about swearing blindly that there must have been some mistake, that she was not engaged to be married, anything to prevent reality from destroying the beautiful dream they had been sharing all day. But one look at the formidable expression carved into Rhett's face and she knew that he would never believe any lie that she might tell him, no matter how plausible.

Suddenly an unpleasant thought invaded her mind and made her sick to her very stomach. He had known this entire time and yet he had pretended to be in the dark. He had been so kind to her since he had arrived this morning, making her laugh and smile in a way that he hadn't since their long-gone, much-missed honeymoon. All the bitterness between them had seemed to fade to nothing until she couldn't remember why she'd thought anyone else could even begin to compare to him.

But now that very happiness seemed tainted as she wondered whether he had only played the part of the charming, caring friend and former lover in order to mess with her emotions, to punish her for trying to fill the void he had left in her heart and remind her that she would never truly be happy without him.

Instantly she felt the need to run away, to put as much space as she possibly could between them in order that she might gather her scattered thoughts and regain control over her frayed emotions.

But, just as she prepared to do that, she remembered where she was and realised that no escape was possible. Had he planned this too? Waited until they were suspended fifteen foot in the air to drop his bombshell, safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't be able to flee from his questioning?

The feeling of being cornered struck Scarlett with full force and she almost surrendered herself to it, until in the midst of her despair she felt her old, fighting spirit return to her tired bones. She had never been one to simply concede defeat when backed into a corner and even now, trapped and guilty as she undoubtedly was, she lifted her head proudly and looked on Rhett with distain rather than fear.

'Who told you? Was it Ella?' she all but spat at him, fired up by a sense of righteous anger at the thought of her daughter's betrayal.

At the sound of her fury, Rhett's face hardened further as he braced himself for confrontation, 'No, as I said earlier, Ella doesn't write to me about the things that you tell her not to, she's far too frightened of you to risk invoking your wrath Scarlett.'

So they were back to 'Scarlett' were they? The endearments he had used on her only minutes ago suddenly seemed as far away as the affectionate man who had uttered them. The Rhett of this morning certainly wouldn't have cut her like this, striking at her mothering skills when he knew it was a weak spot for her.

Before she could think up something equally cruel to say to him though, he took the wind out her sails completely by continuing, 'It was Wade who wrote to tell me of your impending nuptials.'

'Wade?' she repeated dumbly, sure she must have heard him wrong. If there was one person who wouldn't want to cause her pain then it was her gentle and eternally loyal son. Why, he had always encouraged her to move on from Rhett and find someone new, hating the thought of her spending her autumn years pining after the step-father that he had come to resent so thoroughly.

'Yes, if I'm not mistaken he took great pleasure in informing me that you had found yourself another victim, or should I say husband?'

Despite Rhett's biting words, Scarlett felt herself smile internally at the knowledge that Wade had not been trying to hurt her by telling Rhett, but rather to champion her. Even if his actions had ended up causing her pain, the fact that he had believed himself to be acting in her best interests warmed her heart.

Rising to his defence she cried, 'Well you can hardly blame him for wanting to get back at you, can you Rhett? That boy was a broken, sobbing mess for weeks after you left. It took me months to finally convince him that you'd gone for good because he couldn't bring himself to believe that a man who had professed to love him could simply abandon him like that. But he knows what a pathetic excuse for a father you really are now, doesn't he darling?' she said, sneering at the word 'darling' until it became something ugly and contemptible.

'And to think only an hour or so ago you said that I was the closest thing to a father Wade ever had,' Rhett taunted, 'How fickle is woman!'

'Fickle! Me fickle!' Scarlett all but screeched, her eyes clouding over as the red mist descended, 'I'm not the one who's acting like a complete cad when all morning you've been sweeter than I ever remember you being! Why did you do it Rhett? Why did you come here? To torment me, to mess with my head?'

Unable to hold it in any longer, Scarlett's face crumpled as violent sobs shook through her entire body. Opening her mouth she went to scream at him, but instead what came out sounded more like a broken whimper, 'Do you really hate me that much?'

As her vision blurred under the torrent of her tears, she heard Rhett's audible gasp and the next thing she knew his arms were wrapped tightly round her back, holding her to him as he stroked her tumbled locks and whispered things in her ear that she couldn't quite understand but which comforted her nonetheless.

'I could never hate you Scarlett, never.' He said with conviction, rocking her slowly back and forth in his arms as he tried to calm her. 'Hush now love, I'm sorry for what I said, I was angry that's all, I didn't mean it, I never mean all the awful things I say to you.'

Scarlett turned her head to the side, away from his chest, so that she might breathe and whispered tentatively, 'Why do you say them then?'

'The same reason as always my darling, jealousy.' Scarlett froze at his words, unable to process them.

'But you divorced me, you said that you didn't love me anymore.'

'I've said and done a lot of things that I have come to regret my dear, but none so much as those two. I thought after the divorce I was finally free of you, and while you've never been far from my thoughts in the years since, I did as good a job as I could of living without you. But then Wade's letter came and I knew that any attempt to convince myself that I had broken free of your spell had been a futile one.'

Rhett sighed and paused to lift Scarlett's face up to meet his own, gently wiping away her tears with his fingertips. 'Here, come sit down.' He said gently, before moving over to the back corner of the treehouse and sliding to the floor, supporting his back against the wooden wall. From the ground he held up a hand to her, which she silently took, before pulling her softly, but firmly, onto his lap.

'Now blow your nose like a good little girl,' he teased, his dark eyes alight with memories as he held out his handkerchief for her. Taking it in her small hands, Scarlett did as she was instructed before resting her head tiredly on his strong shoulder.

Rhett stroked her back in small, soothing circles for a few minutes before saying softly, 'I never meant to let you know that I was aware of your engagement Scarlett. I didn't come here to torment you if that's what you think, even I wouldn't stoop that low. No, I came only to make sure that you were happy, even after all this time I couldn't bear the thought of you giving yourself away in marriage to a man that you didn't love, not again.'

He paused and laughed bitterly, 'At least that was the reason I allowed myself to believe, the other, less noble one was that I wanted to see you again one last time while you were still mine.'

Scarlett stiffened slightly at his words, affronted by his possessive tone, 'I haven't been yours since the divorce Rhett.'

Rhett smiled a sad, knowing smile, his eyes looking deep into her soul, 'Haven't you my pet?'

Scarlett opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. Why of course she hadn't, she'd belonged to no one but herself these last few years. She'd made her own decisions, been her own boss, lived according to the rules that only she set. And yet, somewhere deep inside of her, down in the dark recesses of her heart, she knew that Rhett still held dominion, that all her actions since that day had been partially motivated by the need to prove to him that she was worth loving.

Defeated, she closed her mouth and Rhett continued, 'It was supposed to be a pleasant visit, a way of undoing some of the hurt we'd caused each other and end our story on a happy note. It was working to, we were having such a good time, enjoying each other's company like never before, but then I saw that silly scribble of yours about wanting to be Ashley's wife and all my honourable intentions died inside of me. I'm truly sorry Scarlett, the last thing I wanted to do today was cause you any pain.'

Scarlett sighed in understanding and relief, glad beyond words that his visit hadn't been motivated by a wish to hurt her, that all the happiness they had shared so far this day had been genuine. She cuddled closer to Rhett, burying her head in the warmth of his neck as her hands played idly with the collar of his shirt. This was how it was supposed to be, this was what she had craved for all these years, this was the Rhett that she had waited for, the Rhett that she loved.

In that moment she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms forever, to hide away from the rest of the world and never come out. For if she had Rhett, then she didn't need anyone else. Suddenly she wanted to call off her engagement, to pretend it had never even happened, she would go back to Charleston with Rhett and they could become the old married couple that she had envisioned them being mere hours before.

Overcome by excitement at the thought of her plan, Scarlett lifted her head out of the crook of Rhett's neck and turned to face him, her green eyes sparkling with unrepressed emotion. But before she had the chance to tell him of her idea, he cut her off by asking, 'How did you two meet?'

Thrown by his unexpected question, Scarlett frowned and asked bemusedly, 'How did who meet?'

'You and James.' He replied simply.

Hearing her fiancé's name on Rhett's lips filled Scarlett with dread, it made the situation more real somehow, more definite. In her agitated state, James was the last thing that she wanted to talk about and yet something in Rhett's countenance made her feel as if she could not refuse to answer his question.

'I was in Atlanta a couple of years ago to see to the sale of my store. I didn't really want to let it go, after all it was the last real link that I had with the place, but seeing as Tara was taking up all my time and I didn't really need the money anymore it seemed silly to keep it just for sentiment's sake. Anyway, I was crossing the road in front of the store when next thing you know this horse comes cantering down the street and I have to fling myself onto the pavement to prevent myself from being stampeded.'

'Go on.' Rhett encouraged, sensing her reluctance to continue with her tale.

'Well, I was just picking myself up off the floor and dusting down my dress, which was brand new and already ruined, when I heard this voice asking if I was alright. I was embarrassed about having fallen in public and so I was a little short tempered when I replied that I was fine.'

'A_ little _short tempered my pet?' Rhett grinned teasingly.

'Well maybe a bit more than a little, but you'd have been the same Rhett if you're nice new clothes had been torn and dirtied!'

'Undoubtedly I would.' He agreed, his black eyes shining, 'Go on, so what happened after you gave this concerned bystander a piece of your mind?'

Scarlett blushed and dropped her gaze down into her lap, 'Well he said that if I was going to be so ungrateful he'd make sure his horse hit me next time! He told me he wished he hadn't bothered to turn the horse round, risking his own neck in the process, so he could check if I was hurt if that's all the thanks he was going to get for his trouble.'

Rhett's voice was light, but carried an unmistakable undercurrent when he asked, 'This was James I suppose, he was the man responsible for almost killing you.'

'Don't worry, I got him back alright! I yelled at him so loud I'd be surprised if there was a single person in all of Atlanta that day who didn't know what he'd done to me.' She paused and smiled slightly, 'If I wasn't already blacklisted in that city Rhett, my rant that day certainly sealed my fate.'

'Hardly an auspicious start for a relationship my dear, I do believe it makes you throwing a vase at me look almost romantic in comparison, what changed?'

'He had a replica of the dress he'd ruined sent to Tara, complete with an apology and a note saying that he'd never met a woman like me and hadn't been able to think of anything else since I'd torn into him in the middle of the street in broad daylight.'

'Ah, so he appealed to your vanity, clever man.' Rhett commented mockingly, 'Go on.'

Scarlett sighed, 'There's nothing much more to say Rhett, after that he kept calling at Tara despite all my threats to have him thrown off my property. As if that wasn't bad enough, he somehow started wrangling invites to all the local balls, requesting my hand in every dance and cutting in on every one I refused to give him. He was irritating and stubborn and pig-headed, but he made me laugh at a time when I'd all but forgotten how. He made me feel young again, young and desirable and happy. He made me see that just because our marriage had ended, it didn't mean that my life had to as well.'

'How did he propose?'

'Why are you asking me all these questions Rhett?' Scarlett cried exasperatedly, 'Haven't we caused each other enough pain as it is, can't you just let it be?'

'I need to know Scarlett.' He said simply, his tone cold and emphatic.

Sighing in defeat, Scarlett cast her mind back to the afternoon in early spring when James had asked her that all-important question that she had become far too familiar with over the years, 'He took me for a picnic in the country. We'd just finished eating dinner and I'd climbed back onto his horse when instead of getting on behind me, James went and knelt down in front of the animal, holding its reins in his hands. I asked him what on God's earth he thought he was doing and he said that he wanted me to know how it felt…'

'How what felt Scarlett?' Rhett prompted, nudging her as she fell silent.

'How… how it felt to be sat on top of that horse and have your life change in an instant. How it felt to have the person in front of you bring your world crashing down around you and show you everything you've been looking for your entire life, just like I had done for him that day in Atlanta. Then he pulled out the ring and asked me either to agree to become his wife or let the horse trample him as it had almost trampled me, because if he couldn't live in a world where we were married then he didn't want to live at all.'

'And you said yes?'

'You know I did Rhett,' Scarlett said tiredly, 'you wouldn't be here if I hadn't.'

'I know, but all the same I can't help but wish you'd just let the damn horse walk all over him.'

Scarlett gasped before dissolving into a fit of giggles when she raised her head and saw Rhett's expression, he looked so like a little boy in that moment, his eyes shining with mischief even as his face had the good grace to try and look apologetic.

He smiled at the sound of her laughter before reluctantly joining in, the tension between them that had built up during her tale disappearing as they shared a moment of camaraderie.

Once their laughter had subsided, Rhett's eyes clouded over as he said wistfully, 'Well at least it sounds more romantic than my proposal.'

'Why Rhett whatever do you mean?' Scarlett scolded playfully, unwilling to let the light mood descend back into one of melancholy so quickly, 'What's more romantic than proposing to a girl the day after her husband's funeral, accusing her of drinking too much, practically threatening to hold her hostage in her own home unless she agrees, and then running off half way around the world for months on end the moment that she says yes?'

Rhett shook his head and grinned ruefully, 'When you put it like that my dear I can't understand why you agreed to marry me at all.'

'That's easy Rhett, because when you kissed me everything fell into place and all the reservations I had didn't seem to matter anymore, in fact nothing mattered except your lips on mine.'

Staring into Rhett's shocked face, Scarlett smiled mischievously as she taunted, 'Of course the fact that you were richer than every other man in Georgia put together didn't exactly hurt either!'

Rhett groaned in mock-exasperation and pulled her tightly against his chest. For a second Scarlett's heart stopped as his eyes focussed in on her lips and she wondered if he was going to kiss her, unable to make up her mind in that moment whether she wanted him to or not. Instead though, he merely placed a chaste peck on her cheek before hugging her closely.

A queer sense of disappointment tore through Scarlett at his actions and she pulled away with a frown, her stomach rumbling loudly as she did so.

Rhett smiled at the sound and set about helping her to her feet, 'How remiss of me my dear, it must be at least three o'clock by now and you haven't had any lunch. How about we head on back to Tara for some refreshments before I bid you farewell?'

Scarlett flinched at his words, hurt by the confirmation that he still planned on leaving her. After all they'd shared could he really just walk out on her again? And more importantly could she go back to James as if nothing had happened, as if this crazy, infuriating, magical day hadn't occurred?

Before she could think on it further though, Rhett led her to the entrance of the treehouse and helped her angle herself so that she could climb back down the rope. As she reached the bottom and planted her feet firmly back onto the soil, she called out to Rhett that he was clear to follow her and waited for him to appear above her.

But the minutes past and still he did not come, confused and slightly concerned she called out to him again, 'Are you alright up there Rhett?'

A shuffling sound floated down to her from the tree above, followed by a strange, scratching noise. A few minutes later Rhett finally reappeared, grinning from ear to ear as he made his way down the rope.

'You know Scarlett, I have to wonder how you ever managed to survive all these years on your own if you can't go ten seconds without seeing me before getting anxious!'

'I wasn't anxious Rhett,' Scarlett bristled, 'I just didn't know why you were taking so long is all, besides you were more than a few seconds, it'll practically be supper time before we get back to Tara!'

Rhett smiled at her tone, but didn't offer up any more information about what had kept him and so Scarlett reluctantly let the matter drop. They walked back through the woods in silence, following the river as it wound its way through the trees. But it was no longer a peaceful quiet like it had been before, this time they both kept their heads down as if embarrassed by their close proximity and Scarlett found herself struggling to find something to say in order to break the sudden tension that had unexpectedly arisen between them.

After a while they broke back out into the sunlight of the cotton fields and a thought suddenly struck Scarlett which she had been too preoccupied to contemplate until now.

'You said you wanted to see if I was alright Rhett, does that mean you came to see me and not Ella?'

Beside her Rhett smiled, looking thoroughly amused that she could be so slow-witted about certain things, 'My dear, as much as I love Ella, there is only one woman for whom I would travel across the country in my dotage.'

'So she doesn't expect to see you tomorrow then?' Scarlett asked.

'No, Ella doesn't know that I'm here at all, no one does.'

'But what if they'd all been here today Rhett? What would you have done then?'

'Well my dear, I would simply have maintained the lie that my unexpected arrival was motivated by a wish to see my step-daughter before she turned twenty-one, whilst subtly enquiring as to how you were and trying to ascertain whether or not you were truly happy.'

He paused before continuing somewhat sheepishly, 'However, seeing as I only chose today for my visit after Ella told me that she would be spending the weekend in Savannah, that was never really going to be a problem.'

'Rhett!' Scarlett gasped chidingly, unable to hide a smile at his scandalous confession, 'Why you're every bit as sneaky and underhanded as you used to be! But what did Ella tell you she was going to do in Savannah? She could hardly say that she was going to visit James's parents after all!'

'No she was rather vague about it actually, I do believe if Wade hadn't already informed me of your engagement then her letter would have peaked my curiosity. She only told me at all because she was hoping to take time out of her visit to come and see me in Charleston. Even if I hadn't decided to take advantage of her absence to visit you though, I doubt I'd have been able to see her. What with business and visiting Daniel, I'm hardly there any more these days, in fact I'm planning on selling up soon and moving to New Orleans altogether.'

'I don't blame you Rhett,' Scarlett commented, 'Charleston is far too dull as it is and New Orleans is just heavenly.'

Rhett chuckled wryly at her endearing simplistic way of viewing the world, 'Indeed it is my dear, although my motives for moving are based more on a wish to be closer to my family in my old age.'

As they reached the top of the hill and the white house loomed large in front of them once more, Scarlett remembered that it wasn't just her daughter who was absent from Tara this weekend. 'Oh Rhett,' she whined, 'I thought it would be just me today so I gave the servant's the day off, we'll have to make do with what I can find in the kitchen.'

Rather than looking put-out by her confession, Rhett only grinned, 'My pet, I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever it is you manage to rustle up for us. Indeed I'm rather looking forward to discovering your culinary skills, who knew divorce was the answer to making a domesticated little lady out of you.'

'Oh hush up or you won't get anything!' Scarlett retorted, cutting her homely image to shreds in mere seconds.

They entered the house through the back way and Scarlett led Rhett into the kitchen telling him to take a seat around the large, wooden table in the centre of the room while she tried to find something for them to eat. The cook had left her some cold meal from last night's supper along with a generous helping of cream cake for her lunch and so she set about dividing it between herself and Rhett, cutting some bread to go with their impromptu meal.

As she set Rhett's plate down before him on the table and moved round to take her own place across from him, she realised they didn't have anything to drink and hurried to get some juice from the pantry.

Sitting down opposite him, Scarlett tried not to smile when he raised his eyebrows comically at the sight of the food in front of him and instead focussed on starting her meal. When Rhett didn't immediately follow her example, she looked questioningly at him.

'I'm waiting to see how it affects you before I dare to tuck in,' he drawled, 'I think it's said that most poisons take a minute or two to make themselves known.'

Her mouth full, Scarlett was unable to bite back and so had to satisfy herself by scowling murderously in his direction instead. Once she'd swallowed, she threatened darkly, 'I don't know about that Rhett, but if you don't be quiet and eat, then poison will be the last thing you'll have to worry about.'

Rhett's black eyes gleamed as he made a show of reluctantly picking up his fork and taking a cautious bite of his food. Scarlett merely rolled her eyes at his performance and carried on eating, enjoying the rare moment of domesticity between the two.

'So James comes from Savannah then?' Rhett commented, shocking Scarlett out of her train of thought by bringing up her fiancé again. Rhett seemed to want to talk of him almost as much as she didn't.

'Originally yes,' she said cautiously, 'although his parents still live there and he visits them regularly.'

'But you decided not to go with him to see them, why was that, don't you like them?'

Scarlett shook her head airily, 'No they're fine people, a little dull perhaps but then they can hardly help that coming from Savannah.'

Rhett smiled indulgently at her words before pressing, 'So then why didn't you want to visit them?'

'Oh you know I don't mix very well with older people Rhett, most of them can hardly bear to live in the same town as me let alone stomach the idea that I'm going to marry their only child.'

'So they don't agree with his choice of bride then?' Rhett surmised.

'Can you blame them, would you want Daniel marrying a woman whose been widowed twice, divorced once and has two children from those previous marriages?'

'If he loved her, I hardly think it would be my place to stand in his way,' Rhett reasoned, 'but what about James, he wasn't swayed by his parent's opinion of you?'

Scarlett giggled, 'Hardly, he told them that we loved each other and that if they couldn't accept that then he had no interest in seeing them either at our wedding or after it.'

'Sounds like a sensible man my dear, choosing love over the wishes of his family, how very different your new fiancé is from our wooden-headed friend. I must say Scarlett, it seems that your tastes have improved dramatically with age.'

'Thank you Rhett,' she said, unsure whether to take his words as a compliment or an insult, but deciding the former was the easier option of the two.

'So what does your honourable paramour do for a living?'

'Why is that any concern of yours Rhett?' she asked irritably, annoyed that they were spending the last of their time together speaking of James.

'I think it is my duty as your former husband to ensure that you will be suitably provided for by your next.'

Scarlett's insides clenched at his words as she was overcome by a sudden rush of affection for the man sitting opposite her. Even after all this time he still wanted to make sure that she was looked after, that she had enough money to be comfortable in life. She knew in that moment that if she so much as hinted at a shortage of funds then he would whip out his check book and give her some obscene amount of money without the slightest intention of making her pay it back.

While the greedier part of her nature contemplated doing just that, her need to assuage his fears was far stronger and she said reassuringly, 'I'm plenty provided for Rhett, if Tara wasn't making enough profit by itself, James owns a thriving construction company in Atlanta,' she paused before adding whimsically, 'do you know he gets all his wood from my old mills Rhett, it's a strange world isn't it?'

'The strangest.' He agreed, before adding lightly, 'I'm sure he wishes you hadn't sold them otherwise he could have gotten himself a fine discount.'

'Are you joking?' Scarlett said, her eyes burning with the fire that the thought of a profit always lit in them, 'I'd have charged him double, a man is hardly likely to refuse the woman he loves now is he?'

Rhett threw back his head and laughed unabashedly, 'Still as heartless and mercenary as ever, aren't you my darling? I could almost feel sorry for the young man, incidentally just how old is your intended anyway?'

Scarlett blushed before mumbling quietly, 'Thirty-five.'

Rhett choked slightly on his juice, his dark eyes growing wide as he took in what she had just said, 'Thirty-five! Why, Scarlett you grow more outrageous by the day, no wonder his parents had their reservations about you, you're practically stealing him out of the cradle!'

Scarlett's green eyes narrowed into little more than slits as she hissed heatedly, 'You can hardly talk Rhett Butler, I was only sixteen when we met while you were thirty-three! I think that's far more scandalous an age gap than a measly seven years don't you?'

'Ah, but you were old for your years my pet, while I have managed to hold back the ravages of time remarkably well if I do say so myself,' ignoring Scarlett's incredulous scoff, he continued, 'and besides, the man should always been the senior one in a marriage, how else is he supposed to retain control, especially when up against such a wildcat as yourself.'

'James is secure enough not to worry about who other people think wears the pants in our relationship Rhett, unlike someone else that I could mention.' She taunted scornfully.

'Touché my dear, although it cannot be said that I ever cared about that either, otherwise I would hardly have chosen you for my bride, now would I?'

Having no answer to his question, Scarlett simply huffed and lowered her gaze back to her food. They ate the rest of the meal in silence, Scarlett's mouth becoming dry as she tried to force the last few bites down her throat, unable to stomach the thought that Rhett would surely leave once they had finished eating.

Her heart was firmly lodged in her mouth as she watched him clear his plate, silently praying that time would stop and they could stay like this forever. Her head was a whirlwind of confusion, she loved James, truly she did, and up until this morning she had been properly excited by the prospect of marriage for the first time in her life. And yet there was Rhett , the man she had loved for most of her adult life, the man who had finally returned to her after just as she had often prayed that he would, the man she didn't think she could bear to watch walk out of her life for a second time.

Overcome by emotion, she raised her tortured eyes to his and willed him to make the decision for her, 'Rhett…'

'Don't Scarlett,' he warned, his eyes cautious and closed off as he read the expression engrained in hers.

Hurt and confused by his words she could only ask desperately, 'Why not?'

'Because if you ask me to choose for you then I'll pick me.'

'But what if I want…'

'It doesn't matter what you want Scarlett, it doesn't matter what I want either. If it did then we'd already be halfway back to Charleston by now, planning our remarriage along the way.' Rhett argued, pausing to let the fire that had leapt into his dark eyes die down before continuing gravely, 'This is about who is the better match for you, and while it kills me to admit it, we both know that it isn't me.'

Scarlett started to protest, but he cut her off before her words could gain momentum, 'My life is in New Orleans now my pet, and while I know you love the city, it could never compare to Tara. If I didn't know how deeply this place is engrained in your soul before today, then I certainly do now. You could never be away from here for long, just as I could never be away from Daniel for an extended period of time. We're too old to be flitting continually between the two and the separation would eat away at our love until it descended into bitterness and regret all over again.'

Scarlett felt hot tears stream down her face as the truth of his words sunk in, no matter how much she wanted to deny them she knew that she could not, that her life was here now, with her family and her beloved home, in a world where Rhett no longer fitted.

Brokenly, she looked him in the eye as her heart shattered in her chest and sobbed, 'But I love you Rhett.'

Instantly he was beside her, pulling her out of her chair and into his arms, 'And I love you Scarlett, but we had our chance and we blew it, it's time for you and James to have yours now. I made my decision regarding us a long time ago, I have no right to demand we try again now that I have come to realise that it was the wrong one.'

Scarlett clung to his broad frame, her entire body convulsing with the force of her tears, as she surrendered herself to the reality of her situation. She and Rhett were no longer young and free, they could not simply run off into the sunset together, consequences be damned. They had responsibilities now, family and jobs that tied them to certain places, that made it impossible for their lives to come together and merge into one as they had done before.

Gently, Rhett began to rock her back and forth in his arms and Scarlett felt the tension slowly seep out of her tired body as she allowed herself to become lost in the comfort of his embrace for one last time. Closing her eyes, she revelled in the feel of his warmth around her, the strength that his large frame conveyed and the homely, intoxicating smell of his skin which was pressed so closely against hers.

All too soon he pulled back, his eyes serious, 'There's one more question I need to ask you before I go Scarlett, and I need you to promise me that you'll give me an honest answer.'

Hypnotised by his dark eyes staring deep into her soul, Scarlett nodded mutely.

'Do you love him?'

'Yes.' She breathed, feeling her heart break as she did so.

Rhett sighed deeply, though whether in relief or pain she did not know, 'Then I can leave without regret.'

He kissed her forehead tenderly and buried his face in her hair, inhaling long and hard as if trying to commit her scent to his memory. Slowly he stepped back, leaving Scarlett feeling suddenly cold despite the heat of the day, and said tightly, 'If I don't leave now my dear then I fear that I never will.'

Irrationally she wanted to reach out and pull him back to her, to hold him against her and refuse to let go. But his strained countenance told her that this would be a grave error and so she simply nodded her head dejectedly, unable even to think of anything to say to him in farewell.

There was no pain when he turned and walked away from her, exiting the kitchen through the hall door, only a dull sense of emptiness that echoed hollowly through her heart. She stood silent and unmoving for a minute or two, her mind numb, when a thought hit her with full force and caused her legs to move almost without her knowledge.

She could not leave it like that, after everything they had been through they deserved a better end than a tepid goodbye in a clammy kitchen. Running through the hallway and out into the late afternoon sun, she anxiously scanned the scene in front of her for a sight of him.

For a moment she saw only red earth and blue sky around her and her insides ached at the thought that she was too late, that he had already gone. But then, from the corner of her eye she caught sight of him emerging from the stables on horseback and unthinkingly she screamed out his name and ran towards him.

At the sight of him sitting astride his black stallion, all thoughts of coming out here just to say a proper goodbye fled and she wished only that they could start again. With this in mind she broke down and begged him to stay with her. 'Please Rhett don't go! We can make it work I know we can! I'll move to New Orleans, I'll give up Tara, anything you want, I don't care as long as I have you!'

Rhett dismounted at her words, and as he swung gracefully off his horse onto the ground she thought that perhaps her words had broken through his resolve, that he had decided to give her another chance after all.

But instead of smiling in joy, his lined face looked older and more worn than ever before, 'Don't do this Scarlett, ' he begged, 'don't make it harder than it already is, it has to be this way, you know it does.'

'No it doesn't,' she cried desperately, 'I'll give up Tara and you can't stop me!'

Rhett's face seemed to age ten years right in front of her as he lifted his tortured eyes to hers and said sadly and definitively, 'Yes I can.'

At her incredulous look he continued, 'You promised remember, you said that if I won the bet, then I could do whatever I wanted without you being able to refuse me. And what I want is for you to allow me to commit the first unselfish act of my entire life by letting you go.'

Scarlett's jaw dropped at his words and she felt tears begin to form once again, 'I don't want you to go,' she whispered, 'I don't want this to be the end.'

Rhett's dark eyes glistened at her words, sensing in them her surrender and knowing that in winning this battle he had finally lost the war he had been waging since the day he had first met her. 'Me neither my pet, but you know this isn't really the end, don't you?'

Scarlett wiped away her tears roughly with the back of her hand, 'What do you mean Rhett?' she asked hopefully.

'I mean that I'll see you again in the next life, you and our darling little daughter.'

Scarlett sniffed, wanting to believe in his words but finding herself unconvinced, 'But how do you know we'll find each other Rhett? Heaven's a big place and that's if we even get in, God knows we've done enough over the years to have them lock the gates before we get there.'

Rhett smiled reassuringly, 'My dear, even if they tried to keep us out I'm sure we could sweet talk out way inside. And of course we'll find each other there, I for one won't stop searching until we do.'

Time seemed to stop as they shared a secret, knowing smile, their eyes burning into each other's as they made an unspoken vow. In that moment it didn't matter that they had no physical evidence to show that they had ever been I love, had not been blessed with a living child to prove to the world that they had been everything to each other once. It didn't matter because they had themselves, in their hearts they would always know the truth and that was all that mattered now.

Looking into each other's eyes, they saw not the old man and ageing woman that they had become, but rather the dashing, rebellious blockader and the beautiful, full-blooded belle that they had been in their prime. In that moment the years rolled aside and they were once again the scandalous couple who had dared to buck society's trends and who had kept an entire city captivated by their escapades for over a decade.

The air around them hummed with repressed emotion, hanging low under the suffocating weight of the life left unlived, the love that almost was and never now could be. But Scarlett was no longer afraid of his impending departure, confident as she now was that it would not be the last time that she saw him. That they would one day find each other again and live the life that they should have done the first time round. And how different she would be to him then! How she would smother him with her affection, loving him in the way that he had always longed to be loved, the way that he deserved to be.

Slowly Rhett closed the gap between them and, twining his fingers through her hair, pulled her to him for one last kiss. It was slow and sweet and achingly tender and after it was over he did not pull away but rather rested his forehead to hers and whispered against her lips, 'Until next time my love.'

As she opened her eyes and her mind cleared from the daze his kisses always left her in, she watched him remount his horse and smiled as he gave her one final impertinent grin whilst raking over her body with his black eyes his black eyes before he turned and galloped away.

She stood and watched him, her eyes following his retreating figure as it got smaller and smaller, until finally he turned the corner at the bottom of the lane and disappeared from sight.

As the distant sound of horse hooves faded away on the late afternoon breeze, she turned towards home, when the memory of another sound filled her ears and made her heart skip a beat.

Suddenly she knew what it was that Rhett had been doing inside the treehouse while she waited for him on the ground below and, unwilling to delay for so much as a second, she took off. She ran the way she had loved to run when she was a child, her legs pumping, her arms flailing and her emerald eyes flashing with excitement. Streaking round the back of the house and past Mammy's tree she could almost hear the sound of her old friend in her ears, scolding her for running in such an unladylike manner and warning her that she would never get a husband if she didn't start acting like a lady.

Sticking her tongue out in response to Mammy's imaginary words, she giggled to herself as she thought that getting men to marry her had been one problem that she had never had. As she tore down the hill through the cotton fields, her feet flying over the red earth that she loved more than life itself, her hair streaming out behind her and her heart soaring, she realised she hadn't felt this alive and carefree in years.

Reaching the woods, she slowed down slightly to navigate her way through the trees, almost slipping over a few times on the muddy ground of the riverbank in her eagerness to reach her destination as quickly as possible.

Finally she caught sight of her beloved treehouse, her eyes lighting up as she took it in, eager to find out what awaited her inside. Stopping underneath it, she paused to catch her breath for a few moments before grabbing the rope between her hands and hoisting herself up into the canopy.

Crawling inside the wooden hut, Scarlett leapt to her feet and began scanning the walls for the message she felt sure Rhett had left for her there an hour or so earlier. She found it almost instantly, Rhett's elegant, sophisticated handwriting standing out from her own childish scrawl as profoundly as he himself had done from every other man she had ever known.

Her stomach clenched as she read his message, drinking in each and every word and feeling them become engrained on her heart every bit as deeply as they were carved into the wood in front of her.

_I'll be waiting Mrs. Butler _

Hugging herself to contain her joy, Scarlett whispered aloud, certain that her words would be carried on the wind to Rhett as he rode back towards Atlanta, 'Me too, my love, me too.'


End file.
